89 Dodge Spirit running rough

I would be very wary of a so-called mechanic who tells me that 'all the sensors and the computer' are bad. This person is quite obviously not troubleshooting anything at all and just plans on throwing parts at your car with no knowledge of how these parts even work.

Can he explain what *exactly* is wrong with 'every sensor and the computer'?

Some of the scanners will show the the 'snapshot' data captured at the time the MIL was lit. But I don't think that your '89 will have the OBD-II controller. You may need to work through the codes that you have and check each part of the system to figure out what went wrong.

You mentioned a loss of fuel efficiancy coupled with a smell of gas. The first thing I would check for is a leak. Bend/pull/push on all fuel lines to be sure that it is not a simple cracked fuel line causing your problem.

Good Luck.

When 'all' the sensors go bad, it normally means the body ground has gone bad so the computer doesn't see them. Look for wire mesh straps. Lots of times there are a bunch of small black wires bolted onto the block around the dipstick that are the grounds for the sensors. This connection can also get corroded.

I would sure clean up the cables before spending money.

Mike

He just said it was probably because it was jumped. I found it very hard to believe but he was recommended by a shop I trusted.

I am under the impression that I need an OBD I reader although the manual says DRB II.

The fuel would drip from the injector manifold. Like the old cars when they flooded. I went to another shop and they tightened all the hoses.

The first shop told me the compression was good. I checked the compression and it read 100, 110, 55, 110. Even I know that's NOT good. I'd sure like to make it run for a while longer though. Years ago at Precision Tune we had an old Chrysler come in with a dead hole. 0 compression. That car would squeal the tires no problem, with 7 cylinders.

I called the shop that recommended them and let them know what I have found out. They were not too pleased about that shop. I hope they don't send too many more that direction.

Thanks, Steve

Hi Mike,

Thanks, I'll check them.

I found rebuilt engines on the web pretty cheap. This one has a weak hole so I may just get a rebuilt. My mom really wants to keep the car.

I'll check out the rebuilders I found.

Steve

I've jumped and jumped from plenty of cars without destroying all the sensors: or even a single one as that goes. Sure, it's possible to do damage, but to just say that jump starting a car will destroy all the electronics just goes to prove how little your mechanic knows about vehicle electronic systems.

Go with what the manual says. I don't know what a DRB II is, but I am severly limited to experience of only the vehicles I have owned.

Good Luck! Perhaps it's time for some valve work or a complete software change?

ODB-II wasn't available until the late 90's - 1996 I think. Most cars of this vintage will have some way of communicating trouble codes out by blinking the MIL light. A shop manual for this car would certainly be able to walk you through this procedure. Also, most cars from of this age weren't very verbose, so don't worry about getting a bunch of different codes.

Most parts stores - AutoZone for sure, others maybe - will do an ODB-II scan for you for free. You might try calling around to see if anyone can handle an older car like the one you are working on. ODB-II is nice because it is mostly standardized whereas what came before was a crapshot of connectors and languages.

Best of luck

Matthew